5 UFC comebacks that went horribly wrong
A great comeback makes for inspirational viewing in any sport, and MMA is no different. Whether it’s Randy Couture returning from retirement to defeat Tim Sylvia, or Dominick Cruz coming back from a laundry list of injuries to upset TJ Dillashaw, the UFC has seen plenty of jaw-dropping returns in its time.
Unfortunately, not every comeback in the UFC goes to plan, and on a number of occasions we’ve seen fighters return to the Octagon after a long layoff to much fanfare, only to suffer a devastating defeat that made everyone question whether it’d all been worth it.
Here are 5 UFC comebacks that went horribly wrong.
#1 Frank Mir
Long considered one of the best prospects in MMA at Heavyweight, submission expert Frank Mir reached the top of the UFC’s mountain in 2004 when he broke Tim Sylvia’s arm to claim the promotion’s Heavyweight title, but before he could defend it, disaster struck.
Mir was involved in a horrific motorcycle accident that left him with a severely broken femur, and at one point, it looked doubtful that he would ever return to the Octagon. The UFC stripped him of his title a year after the accident, but surprisingly, just a few months later the Las Vegas-based fighter’s return was announced.
Mir was signed to fight Marcio ‘Pe De Pano’ Cruz at UFC 57 in February 2006, and while Cruz brought a stellar reputation as one of the world’s best pure grapplers to the fight, it was also set to be just his second professional fight – so despite his long layoff, Mir was installed as the betting favourite.
Unfortunately, that proved to be a huge error. Mir appeared to be in shape, but looked tentative from the off and after a brief exchange of strikes, he found himself on his back with the Brazilian on top. From there, ‘Pe De Pano’ proceeded to control the former champion, and smashed him with ground-and-pound until the fight was stopped late in the first round, thoroughly ruining his comeback.
What happened next?
A bloated Mir returned 4 months later and edged a decision over Dan Christison, before being TKO’d at the hands of Brandon Vera in his next fight.
It looked like his career was over, but instead the former champion turned a corner a year later, and ended up putting together one of the most stirring returns to form in UFC history – recapturing the title he never lost in 2008. Mir is now recognised as one of the sport’s greatest ever big men.